


Propylaia

by Igraine



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Noncanonical Character Death, Psychic Violence, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-04-05
Updated: 2012-04-10
Packaged: 2017-11-03 02:17:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/375993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Igraine/pseuds/Igraine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Titan is sent to retrieve a powerful weapon guarded by a daughter of Hecate. Neither suspect what is going to happen to the.</p>
<p>Propylaia, "before the gate" is one of the cult names of goddess Hekate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Flashforward

**Author's Note:**

> Based on Rick Ryordan's Percy Jackson Universe but very modified, if you are not comfortable with heavy modifications, you've been warned. You will not find any of the Major characters here, only the Olimpians and the Titans, and some mentions to Halfblood Camp.
> 
> Warnings: WIP, English is not author's native language (be kind and point grammatical terrors!), first fic ever.

The feeling of a bead of sweat traveling from her neck down to her back snapped her back to reality. She felt the knife, sliding against her cheek, dangerously close to her eye. She took a deep breath, expanding her consciousness, she desperately tried not to tremble, to keep her concentration... but is was slipping through her fingers. She was terrified. And her sorcery snapped out, fading.   
  
"Where is the key" the gruff, dark voice came from behind her, the man, creature, thing, whatever! that held her captive was asking for a key?! Her mind was racing, The Key, he had to be after Propilaya! Oh Mother Trivia!   
  
"I don't know what are you talking about" her voice was broken with fear, anxiety rendering her breathless. She felt the purring laugh, a subvocal sound that echoed in her captor's chest, tight against her back, shaking her to the core. She whimpered. Fear spiked with that laugh.   
  
"You are not fully human, child" the purr extended to his voice, mocking her. "You are a demigod, child, and I know who your mother is". Her knees gave in and she fell in a boneless bundle to the ground. He knew... he knew... she was going to die. "Mother Hekate, take me to your darkness and let me sleep..." she chanted in a whisper, eyes open, face ashen and tears running freely. She finally saw her assassin. For all the Great Gods... wasn't he the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.   
  
* * *

 

The Atrium of the Museum was magnificent, every time someone new entered the skip a beat and stop to stare open mouthed to the magnificent dome. The courier needed to reach the inner offices, but he didn't know where to go, so he asked a helper and he directed him to the Restoration Lab.

He knocked the door. Three people were working in big tables, full of plastic bottles, glass containers, brushes and god knows what more. Two of them were women, his parcel was addressed to a woman. One blond, the other one a brunette with glasses.   
  
"Eleonora Marie Gallagher?" She heard her name and looked in the door´s general direction. Everything was a blur, and she remembered that she was working with her glasses on. She slide them down her nose, looking over the bridge. A guy she didn't recognize, and she knew nearly everyone in the museum, was looking around the conservation room. She raised her hand, to attract his attention:   
  
"I think it's me" her two colleagues looked at her with raised eyebrows, she was either Leo or Doctor Gallagher for them, never heard her full name. The guy, obviously a courier, hand her a cardboard box, and a tablet, asked for her signature and left. She looked at the box. She couldn't remember having bought anything online lately, but the box had her name and the museums address. Dad? She frowned, her father could have done it, but they were seeing each other this evening for their weekly dinner.   
  
She kept musing, she wouldn't open it yet, she was working with a very delicate medieval codex and didn't want to risk anything spilling in the wrong place. And then she felt the slight tingling in her fingers, she smiled. Mother. She left the box in her auxiliary table and kept working whit a smile on her lips. Mother sent something... she would be in her dreams today. But frist she had to work for a few hours, do some shopping, have dinner with dad... and then she would open the little box.

She was very patient, years of training and her own mother's heritage taught her to be patient like the spider in the web.


	2. The Key

The mortals called this place The Eye, the London Eye. Quite fitting. He was the one Who Saw It All, Father to Sun, Moon and Dawn, husband to the Titan of Clear Sight. He had been called to Mortal Earth after the last war, after the second defeat of Chronos. His brother now knew better than attacking up front. He finally heard Prometheus, subtlety and subterfuge were better weapons against those annoying demigods and their Olympic fathers.

Chronos wanted to talk to him in London. Why London, he didn't knew. He simply waited, traveling with the Eye. seeing the Night taking over earth, his daughter Selene rising in the horizon, the city light and the river beneath him. Next time they touched ground everyone left the shuttle, he remained, sensing his younger brother entering and walking to his side.

"Hyperion, brother", acknowledged by his name. "Goodnight Chronos", he turned to his brother, he was impersonating a golden haired golden eyed neither young nor older guy. Hyperion was a contrast of raven hair, silver eyes and long and slender limbs.

* * *

"Dad!" Leo waved, sitting in the table she booked two days ago. They loved the little italian restaurant and after two months of not seeing each other, it was just logical to have dinner there. Arthur Gallagher walked to his only daughter, silver hair pulled back in a pony tail, beard slightly longer than the last time, very tanned, blue eyes twinkling.

"Bright Blessings my dear!". Arthur was a gardnerian High Priest, with his own Circle in London with off shoots in Scotland, Ireland and USA, just back from California. "How's the Museum?" he asked sitting after kissing his daughter's cheek. "Just as you left it. I'm working on a medieval codex, very interesting, a transcription of Saint Augustines De Civitate Dei" she smiled with his father disgusted face, "Augustine... only you can read christian father's being who you are" she deepened her smile "Being who I am is your fault, dad... Mother doesn't disturb my curiosity!" she admonished, they laughed and ordered.

They spent dinner talking about this three months, although they talked every two days on Skype... they needed to hear each others voice in person, they where very close, especially since Leo found out who her real mother was.

* * *

"Why I'm here brother?" he observed Chronos, one never knew what was going on in his head. "I need your all seeing ability Hyperion" Hyperion frowned. "Why?" last time they ignored his observation about the son of Poseidon, they didn't believe him when he said that the scrawny boy was a potential problem. Atlas was still paying it, and Chronos only scaped again with the help of an Olympic traitor.

"Our spy in Olympus has told me that Athena and Zeus are planning something with Hecate. Don't know if it's good or bad, he wasn't in the meeting this morning. I need you to locate Hekate's eldest daughter, she lives here, she is very subtle and subdued, but you should not have difficulties finding her. We need her as leverage" So Chronos thought that the Olimpians were allying with the Goddess of Sorcery for something. He shrugged.

"I'll see if I can find her. I'll take her to Othris, shouldn't have to be complicated, Hekate's children aren't very powerful" although they were descendant's of Perses... they tended to be pacific, more helpers that fighters. He walked towards the gate, without saying goodbye. He was inmersed in the eternal struggle against the Olympians since he involved himself in his father's castration. He didn't mind kidnapping a traitor's daughter.

* * *  
Arthur walked her daughter to her house, a little flat in Bloomsbury, near the museum. She didn't tell him anything about the box sitting in her bedside table. They chatted about her possible return to Halfblood Camp this summer, as counselor for her mother's cabin, she wasn't sure yet, she didn't spend too much time there and she was too solitary for counseling. She promised to have dinner with in two days and they parted ways after a hug and a good night wish.

She walked straight to her bedroom without turning any light on, she was tired and she had an "appointment" with her mother. She didn't hesitate, she pulled on her pijamas, snuggled in her bed and opened the box. It contained a heavily wrapped black stone, it was a pendant so she clasped around her neck and rested her head in her pillow. She felt the pull just when she was feeling drowsy. 

She was in a road, in the middle of a forest, she new that if she walked a bit she would find the crossroad, and her mother in it. After a little walk she reached the crossing and she saw her mother, sitting in a rock, with her dogs around her. She bowed:

"Mother Hekate" she smiled answering her mothers smile and she sat in the grass at her feet.

"Dearest" Hekate caressed her daughters hair. "Thank you for coming with such short notice" Hekabe, her mother's dog licked her ear and she smiled petting her. "I'm always at your command, Mother" Leo waited, she knew that her Mother needed her service for something, and she would eventually say what she needed of her.

"There is a power struggle for Olympus" Leo listened to her mother. She had never seen the Goddess of Sorcery so restless, because suddenly she was on her feet, walking to an fro in the crossing, her sandals scrapping the dirt. Her Mother was always so calm! "The Titans have returned and Zeus, Athena and Poseidon are rallying all the Olympian resources. I've been marked as "non-trustworthy"" she sneered. She had endured the distrust for ages." Athena thinks that I'm still to much of a Titan, she doesn't appear to recall that I forsake my own parents before the Titamonakhia".  
  
Leo, being a demigod, knew perfectly well the history of her upbringing and her mothers. Hekate, daughter of Titans Perses and Asteria, the goddess of sorcery, ghosts, crossroads and gateways. She had the prerogative of granting wishes to humans, shared with Zeus, not an Olympian per se, but respected by their council.  
  
"They had asked me to hand down Propilaya" Leo didn't understand her mothers words, she knew the meaning, threshold, but it didn't ring a bell. "It's one of your names?", her mother nodded. "And a power of its own. Propilaya is The Key, the power that allows me to open portals to and from anyplace on earth, it helps me finding and carrying the ghost to Hades. I've got two days to hand it". So the Olympians had asked her mum to give up one of her more important roles. But something was not right. Leo's eyes grew sharper. "Mother..." Hekate silenced her with a move of her hand "It's done my child...". Leo felt the leap on her guts. Her mother had rebelled.

"I'll never give Propilaya to them, it was bestowed on me by the Megale Thea, and she is the only one who can ask it back. I'm giving it to you, I need you to keep it save." She pointed at the black stone resting on Leo's chest "They will never sense it if it's hidden on a human and you can stand the call, being my child." Leo was dreading her mothers next words. "I name you Guardian of the Threshold, Eleonora" "No... Mother..." She felt a piercing pain in her skull, everything went white and she fainted.


End file.
